A gunman and three hostages who were taken prisoner inside the nation's largest veterans' home in California were found dead late Friday after an hours-long standoff in which dozens of bullets were fired at police outside, authorities confirmed.

California Highway Patrol chief Chris Childs said the bodies of the gunman and the three women he took hostage were found by officers around 6 p.m. Friday. They were in a room where the gunman had holed up with his hostages; it's unclear when the deaths happened.

The tragic end culminated a tense standoff that began at 10:30 PT and left worried relatives wondering about loved ones.

Police in SWAT gear had locked down the sprawling property at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley's wine country.

Napa County Sheriff John Robertson said earlier in the day that “many bullets” were fired by the gunman at deputies outside the building, but no one was injured. Deputies returned fire, he said.

Robertson said authorities know the gunman's identity and had tried to call his cell phone, but got no answer.

Childs said earlier in the day that the hostages were employees of The Pathway Home, a privately run program on the veterans home’s grounds. The program treats veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Department issued an alert to residents at 10:30 a.m. Friday warning them to avoid the area because of “activity at the Veterans Home." Details remain sketchy, but the Associated Press quoted one man who said the gunman barged into an employee going-away party and told some people to leave and others to stay.

Police radio transmissions described the suspect as 5-foot-6, with a rifle and a scope, CBS reported. At least 15-30 shots were fired at deputies, according to the radio transmission, CBS reported.

The Napa Valley Register reported the gunman appeared to be wearing body armor.

and a second CA incident ...ongoing
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A California police officer was killed and another injured Friday after responding to a report that someone was barricaded inside a home.

Pomona Police Chief Mike Olivieri said in a tweet early Saturday morning that one officer had died and the other was in stable condition.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must report that one officer did not survive,” he said in the tweet.

No arrests have been made. Pomona is about 30 miles east of Los Angeles.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, dispatchers received a call of an “officer down,” at around 9:10 p.m. local time.

Sources told the newspaper that about 75 officers from nearby police agencies responded to the scene but were unable to move the officers to safety because of the unidentified gunman.

Video footage from local media showed exchanges of gunfire while a wounded officer was on the pavement, receiving medical attention. The two officers – both with the Pomona Police Department – were eventually taken to a nearby hospital.